SAD Furch Story !

[mouks]

That's ridiculous.. Auditioning to have the privilege of buying an overpriced guitar. If they were giving those guitars to the 40 best players they auditioned, that would be a smart marketing move and they would have 40 ambassadors around the world who would play and show them. If these guitars are for sale to CUSTOMERS, then just sell them at the advertised price on a "first come, first served while supplies last" basis. All they will gain with this kind of marketing practice is turn off some people from considering any of their products.

[rllink]

Originally Posted by SRQ

Yes here too. They agreed to sell, I agreed to pay and they accepted payment in full! The problem is I'd have to sue the retailer who would then have to sue Furch and we'd both have a case but I just don't have the heart to sue the retailer, he's really a victim in all this too and was just trying to do a right by me....

The reality of it, if you decided to litigate, whoever you decided to go after, it you would probably have to hire an attorney who specializes in it. There would first be the expense of determining if you even have a case. Even if your lawyer says you do for free and takes it on, that doesn't mean the court will agree, because their lawyers will most assuredly say you don't. And if you do, their lawyers would file extension after extension to wear you down. And every time your lawyer responded you would get a bill for it. It might take a year, maybe two, and even if you eventually win there would be no teeth to the judgement, they just wouldn't comply and your only recourse would be to take them to court again. Been there, suffered that. And seriously, after all that if by chance the guitar got delivered, would you feel good about it. You got your money back, just let it go.

[Zissou Intern]

I would just move on to a different guitar with the realization that this ash Furch is not meant to be for you right now. Also, you will likely be able to buy one on the used market for half the introductory price in the not too distant future, provided it is still on your radar.

[Brendan @ Heartbreaker Guitars]

To be clear... You do NOT have to "audition" to own one. They only want to make sure they go to enthusiasts. My guess is after you show proof of prior purchase it will just be a drawing. And for the record, im not sure I agree with the whole process. I understand their sentiment, but again Im not sure I 100% agree with the approach. BUT, we don't own the company so its not our decision. I will tell you this. I have NO DOUBT, the final product will impress. Furch continues to provide mind blowing acoustics that always exceed expectations. Thanks for your comment and have a great weekend!

[Scolaguitar]

Originally Posted by rllink

The reality of it, if you decided to litigate, whoever you decided to go after, it you would probably have to hire an attorney who specializes in it. There would first be the expense of determining if you even have a case. Even if your lawyer says you do for free and takes it on, that doesn't mean the court will agree, because their lawyers will most assuredly say you don't. And if you do, their lawyers would file extension after extension to wear you down. And every time your lawyer responded you would get a bill for it. It might take a year, maybe two, and even if you eventually win there would be no teeth to the judgement, they just wouldn't comply and your only recourse would be to take them to court again. Been there, suffered that. And seriously, after all that if by chance the guitar got delivered, would you feel good about it. You got your money back, just let it go.

Agreed. Any good honest attorney will most likely advise the OP to move on since they got their money back.

[SRQ]

Originally Posted by Aimelie

More information in this video from Heartbreaker Guitars:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTRnJ0iqvCw




So, I think this is a case of a dealer who possibly jumped the gun and a buyer who bore the brunt of that in a very poor customer experience. As for the intrinsic merits of the guitar, it sounds to me like it’s priced as a collectible. Anyway, I guess we’ll know the rest of the story next week.

Wow ! There it is - Previous owners only and I can stick my pre-purchase where the sun don't shine. Heartbreaker indeed. Thanks for posting.

[SRQ]

Originally Posted by dnf777

Ok, I hate to break it to ya….you seem to be loyal to this dealer….but he is jerking you around in an attempt to capitalize on a desirable guitar that he thinks will “bid up”.

Upon refusal to sell at the new price, he would be met with a lawsuit to honor the ORIGINAL price. If you willingly backed out, that may not be an option however. Seems clear that both Furch and this dealer have done you wrong.

I thought the dealer was screwing me too and was prepared to sue but as the video posted above shows, it really is Furch screening buyers and refusing to honor not just the pre-purchase price, but wether or nit I will even be deemed worthy as I do not have any previous Furch purchases. The dealer is a helluva good dude who was about to quit dealing Furch but I guess they smooth talked him and said he'd be getting two of the 15 slated for U.S.
We'll see. Not holding my breath at this point.

[Aimelie]

Originally Posted by SRQ

I thought the dealer was screwing me too and was prepared to sue but as the video posted above shows, it really is Furch screening buyers and refusing to honor not just the pre-purchase price, but wether or nit I will even be deemed worthy as I do not have any previous Furch purchases. The dealer is a helluva good dude who was about to quit dealing Furch but I guess they smooth talked him and said he'd be getting two of the 15 slated for U.S.
We'll see. Not holding my breath at this point.

I really think if anyone deserves a shot at one of his two, that’s you. (If you’re still interested.)

For the record, I still love my Furch. It’s an amazing guitar that inspires me every single time I pick it up. Just this afternoon, hubby stopped to listen while I was noodling and then told me he is the one who is blown away by the sound.

And before my eyes could glaze over and my ears block up (as they tend to do when he starts talking about cars) he mentioned that Ferrari and Bugatti did similar sales tactics in the past — refusing to sell limited editions except to past (and frequent!) customers.

In any case, it looks like it’s generated some buzz, although I’m not sure it’s the kind of buzz Furch might have wanted.

[fregly]

The price debacle aside, If they said the guitars would be available to Furch owners only as a kind of loyalty reward for being part of the "Furch Family" or something to that affect, and have random lottery -- perhaps having the winners in advertsing proudly with the SE model and other older models in the shot......this would work. But deciding on high who is worthy -- maybe something was lost in translation cause it sure sounds bad.

[SRQ]

Originally Posted by Brendan @ Heartbreaker Guitars

To be clear... You do NOT have to "audition" to own one. They only want to make sure they go to enthusiasts. My guess is after you show proof of prior purchase it will just be a drawing. And for the record, im not sure I agree with the whole process. I understand their sentiment, but again Im not sure I 100% agree with the approach. BUT, we don't own the company so its not our decision. I will tell you this. I have NO DOUBT, the final product will impress. Furch continues to provide mind blowing acoustics that always exceed expectations. Thanks for your comment and have a great weekend!

The dubious process aside, I literally had the Rep, Marc Harris write to me before the story changed to say " "You are a smart man to get your name on one of these limited instruments. Thank you very much for your purchase.”

it's one thing to go back on your word, but to breach a contractual agreement even after the customer agrees to the whopping price increase ??

[dnf777]

Originally Posted by SRQ

I thought the dealer was screwing me too and was prepared to sue but as the video posted above shows, it really is Furch screening buyers and refusing to honor not just the pre-purchase price, but wether or nit I will even be deemed worthy as I do not have any previous Furch purchases. The dealer is a helluva good dude who was about to quit dealing Furch but I guess they smooth talked him and said he'd be getting two of the 15 slated for U.S.
We'll see. Not holding my breath at this point.

I wish you all the best. That 40th edition may indeed become collectible, as I doubt with that kind of customer service there will ever be a 50th.

The video may explain their policy, but it does not negate a purchase made in good faith. That guitar was yours, and they failed to deliver, prior to you accepting a refund. Whatever path you choose, I wish you the best.

I can think of a dozen excellent guitars that I could buy TWO of for 8k, rather than a hyped up marketing ploy. Im sure its a decent guitar, but not for me.

[jrb715]

Originally Posted by jaycal

Heck with that. Get a nice Bourgeois!

I can't imagine feeling good about the company--or their guitars--after this experience. Jaycal's advice is more or less what I would pursue: though if you're willing to spend $8000, then I would survey Bourgeois, Santa Cruz, Huss and Dalton and Collings for what I might acquire. (And of course there are single luthiers as well happy to build a guitar to your specifications for 5-8K.)

Were I in your situation, and I wanted a special guitar--and had $8000 to spend, I'd get ahold of a Huss and Dalton dealer and see what Mark Dalton could concoct. Their builds in all sorts of different woods--and I'm sure they'd build you one in ash if you wish: though I believe there are much better choices--are visually sensational, and sound sensational.

I'd just say goodbye to Furch; and be glad to have my money back to spend elsewhere.

[hifivic]

If you can't trust them during the sales process how could you trust them after the process for any sort of warranty work? I also assure you if you invest in a Bourgeois, Santa Cruz, Martin or Collings,........each and every one of them will hold their resale value much more than a brand that most folks have never heard of.

[Triggs]

Originally Posted by Villamarzia

Few months back I was interacting with a Furch dealer in Czech Republic for a custom order but then I had a sweet deal on a Lowden. The Furch was very nice and very cheap, around 2k in USD, cedar over rosewood, slotted head, some nice appointments etc. I can’t believe a Furch can cost 8k.. even 5k sounds way too high. Go on the web, find a Czech dealer and try to get your target guitar possibly for even less than 5k. My 2 cents..

A Furch can run you upwards of $5k, especially if you special order a Rainbow series... Ask me how I Know

[mikealpine]

What anyone chooses to spend on what instrument is clearly a personal choice. I wouldn’t chase the company to give them my money. If they want to create exclusivity and reward prior buyers, fine, but that should have been clear in making this an “Owner’s Appreciation” event from the start, with accurate pricing at the outset. Perhaps they didn’t anticipate the demand and feel they can jack the numbers now. If that is the case, it’s a poor practice. Prospective customers shouldn’t have to pay for their poor planning. No doubt the company will eye the additional $120K and be happy for it. Such is business. If people don’t reward that behavior, if they don’t buy these instruments, that’d be a great message to plan better next time. I would take my $8K over to the Custom board and have something special and truly unique built, instead.